Abandoned Baby Lambs Have No One In The World, Until They Find Each Other

Gary was born at a livestock auction, likely in one of the pens where animals are held before being sold off. His mother was sold and brought away to slaughter, leaving him all alone in the world at only a few hours old.

Without intervention, he wouldn’t survive. But luckily, a farmer at the auction took him home.

When the farmer got home, he found that one of his sheep had given birth to a lamb named Penny. He soon realized the new mom actually rejected Penny, leaving another baby to fend for herself.

The farmer knew that without care, the lambs would both perish. Lambs, like all babies, are very delicate and fragile and require the utmost care. They don’t even have wool to keep out the chill yet.

The farmer contacted Deborah Pearce at the Where Pigs Fly animal sanctuary in New South Wales, Australia, about adopting Gary. When she arrived, he asked if she’d like to take Penny, too. Pearce, a lover of all animals, immediately said yes.

“Baby lambs do better when they have company,” Pearce explains. “So we gave both Gary and Penny a home at Where Pigs Fly.”

The lambs were understandably nervous on the four-hour car journey back to the sanctuary, but they found solace and comfort in one another. After all, if you were a tiny baby all alone, you’d feel better with a friend, too!

Penny and Gary soon settled in at Where Pigs Fly. They never leave one another’s side as they explore their new home and meet the other rescue animals, which include horses, goats, pigs, cows, and chickens.

Pearce also knew that raising such young lambs would be a challenge, and that the two would require a lot of care.

Infant lambs like Gary and Penny need their mothers’ colostrum milk to build up their immune systems. Without it, they’re very susceptible to infection. Even at the sanctuary and under the care of Pearce, their survival is precarious.

“It’s always touch-and-go when lambs are born and don’t have the immune-building colostrum,” she says.

In addition to the care from their new human friends, spending time with one another is also proving to be one of the best health boosters for the pair. Since the car ride, they’ve been inseparable.

“They were instant friends, and they took comfort from each other and developed a very strong bond,” Pearce says. “I suspect their bond will last a lifetime. If they can’t see one another, they call out until they are back together again.”

“One is never far from the other, day or night” Pearce says. “I love the way they curl up to sleep.”

They also seem to understand the importance of teamwork. “They help each other out at feed time,” she says. “If one sees the feed bottles, they call to the other one that food has arrived. They come running together.”